An Interview with Jacques Piccard, 1922-2008 [Photo via AP] I'm saddened to read that Jacques Piccard died today. Jacques Piccard was a Swiss oceanic engineer famous for making the deepest ever ocean dive, which he accomplished on January 23, 1960 along with Lt. I had the good fortune to interview Mr. Please read and enjoy it. Interview with Jacques Piccard Okay, yeah, sure Okay, please you will excuse me but my English is relatively poor. Our base was in . And until we could arrive to the place, precise place of the Mariana Trench where we were to descend, to dive, we had about four days to tow the submarine with a tugboat and the sea was pretty rough, and it was not a very nice trip. And when we arrived on the 23rd of January [1960], the early morning, we arrived at the place, we had to start the dive as soon as possible because the waves were bad and the sea was very rough, windy, some rain also I believe, and so on. But the blue of the light was absolutely beautiful, clear and limpid and absolutely beautiful water. VO: Nuclear waste?
Shed Light on Corporate Political Spending - Union of Concerned Scientists Union of Concerned Scientists Skip to main content Shine a Light on Corporate Political Spending Recent UCS research found that many companies obstruct climate action through their trade and business associations with no disclosure and accountability to policy makers, the public, or even their own shareholders. Given the enormous influence trade groups can have over policy decisions, this lack of disclosure is dangerous. The public deserves to know who is influencing policies that affect our health and safety. The SEC rule would require publicly traded companies to disclose more about their political spending, including their support for trade and business associations. Help amplify the demand for transparency in policy making and urge the SEC to prioritize passage of this disclosure rule. Please make your letter personal by adding in your own thoughts and concerns. Learn more by reading our Tricks of the Trade report.
Two-thirds of the world's new solar panels were installed in Europe in 2011 - News & events - JRC Over the past ten years, the PV industry grew in Europe by an average of over 40% per year© stock.xchng (Debbie Mous) Europe accounted for two thirds of the world-wide newly installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2011, with 18.5 GW. Its overall PV capacity totalled 52 GW. The yearly electricity produced by PV could power a country with the electricity demand of Austria, which corresponds to 2% of the EU's electricity needs. These are some of the highlights of the 2012 Photovoltaics Status Report published today by the JRC. The study summarises and evaluates the current activities regarding manufacturing, policies and market implementation world-wide. Over the past ten years, the PV industry grew in Europe by an average of over 40% per year and the production costs have decreased by around 60%. Germany, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom are the leaders in installed PV capacity in Europe.
MIT NSE Nuclear Information Hub | Information about the incident at the Fukushima Nuclear Plants in Japan hosted by :: Maintained by the students of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT Programmable Matter: Claytronics or Gershenfeld We still tell our children “you can be anything when you grow up.” It’s time to start telling them “you’re going to be able to make anything…right now.” Similar work at MIT and Carnegie Mellon is pointing towards the next revolution in computers and manufacturing: programmable matter. In the future you won’t use computers to design a car, the car will form from billions of tiny computers that arrange themselves into anything you want. Claytronics is developing tiny computers that can work together to form shapes. How can a material be intelligent? Carnegie Mellon isn’t the only university pursuing intelligent materials. It All Looks Good on Paper It would be amazing if these technologies were available today, but they are still a long way off. In hardware, Claytronics has already made centimeter sized cylindrical catoms that have basic features. To test Catom forces without gravity, helium filled prototypes are used. Software research is just as rigorous.
DESERTEC Foundation: Start IREC Solar Licensing Database | Interstate Renewable Energy Council “A workforce trained to competency-based standards that are market valued leads to safer, more cost-effective clean energy use, which boosts consumer confidence and supports the expansion of solar and other renewable energy installations across the country.”Jane Weissman, IREC President and CEO IREC is ensuring that our clean energy workforce is well trained to quality, competency-based standards — and trained by programs that teach the skills in demand by employers. IREC leads the nation in the development of quality and competency standards, accreditation and certification programs for clean energy educators and training programs in renewable energy and energy efficiency. As National Administrator of the Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN), we work with the most renowned solar training facilities in the U.S. to build solar workforce capacity in solar system design, installation, sales and inspection.
Banking for Solar Investment - Lit. Review The growth rate of the solar industry (amongst other renewables) needs to be accelerated in order to meet the energy demands and Kyoto protocol targets required for the world. Government incentives for renewables in several countries, such as Europe, U.S.A. and Canada, will help increase the demand for these technologies. However, the market for residential applications, such as residential rooftop grid-tied solar photovoltaics (PV), cannot grow at the required rates without the appropriate accessibility to financing. Kadra09 20:20, 4 June 2009 (UTC) Energy Policy EconPapers QED Working Papers Canadian Journal of Economics International Journal of Energy, Environment and Economics Energy Economics John Deutsch International Executive Programs, Discussion Papers and Publications Power Finance and Risk [edit] Searches [edit] RETScreen See RETScreen info at Solar photovoltaic software RETScreen is a decision support tool provided by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). Escrow Discount Rate
Energy bill expected to favour nuclear and gas over renewables | Environment The energy bill is likely to favour fossil-fuel sources like gas, for which power stations can be built quickly and cheaply. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images A dash for gas, a major fillip for nuclear power and blows to renewable energy – these are widely expected to be the contents of the government's much-anticipated draft energy bill, the main contents of which will be outlined by ministers in the afternoon. The nuclear industry is expected to be one of the big winners, with a set of policies designed to favour low-carbon power – which will, controversially, include atomic energy as well as renewable sources such as wind and solar. But renewable companies are concerned that they will lose out, because the current system of subsidies will be replaced with a complex new system of support that could favour big companies over their smaller rivals. This new system – known as contracts for difference – would allow companies to sign long-term contracts to supply electricity.
Switch | Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory SWITCH-WECCDesigning low-cost, low-carbon power systems using the SWITCH optimization model The SWITCH model can explore the cost and feasibility of generation, transmission, and storage options for the future electricity system. The model identifies cost-effective investment decisions for meeting electricity demand, taking into account the existing grid as well as projections of future technological developments, renewable energy potential, fuel costs, and public policy. SWITCH uses time-synchronized load and renewable generation data to evaluate future capacity investments while ensuring that load is met and policy goals are reached at minimum cost. The optimization is formulated as a deterministic linear program, which is solved by standard commercial software. For more information, see this intro to SWITCH-WECC, a summary of the model’s capabilities, and extensive model documentation. The team working on SWITCH-WECC at RAEL includes: Josiah Johnston, Ana Mileva, and Jimmy Nelson
Ontario: Teeming With Right Opportunities - Express Healthcare Ontario: Teeming With Right Opportunities Canada courts business groups from across the world wherein Ontario emerges as a very attractive investment destination. Viveka Roychowdhary gives a rundown on this growing phenomenon Ranked in 2011 by The Economist Intelligence Unit as numero uno in the G7 as the best place to invest and do business through to 2014, Canada has been aggressively courting business groups from across the world. And in contrast to the meltdown of financial systems in the US and a seemingly prolonged crisis in the Eurozone, Canada could seem like a relatively ‘safe haven’. Of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories, almost 60 per cent of global businesses base their head offices in Ontario, considered the heart of Canada’s banking system. The city is a mere two hour flight from major US pulse points like Chicago, New York and Boston and this proximity to the $17 trillion North American market, accessible through the NAFTA, is a primary draw. Medtech Focus
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